The projected path of Hurricane Sandy, as of 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.National Hurricane Center

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Just hours after it had been downgraded to tropical storm, Sandy has again reached hurricane strength, according to the National Hurricane Center, based in Miami.

"Sandy is a very large
tropical cyclone with tropical storm force winds extending outward up to
450 miles," the Hurricane Center reported Saturday morning. The storm is expected to move up the East Coast this weekend, "with direct impacts expected for the Mid-Atlantic
and/or Northeast United States"by early in the week.

For now, however, the National Weather Service has issued the following forecast for the next few days:

A chance of showers Saturday afternoon and night, with a high near 67 and a low of 53.

Sunday: Rain is likely after 11 a.m. with temperatures ranging between 55 and 60 throughout the day. Heavier rain is forecast after midnight.

Staten Island resources for Hurricane SandyCity, state and federal agencies are offering tips to prepare for the upcoming storm:

Monday: Heavy rain -- 1 to 2 inches -- and high winds during the day, up to 40 mph, with gusts reaching 50 mph. Conditions are expected to continue through the night. The high will be near 58, and the low will be near 50.

Tuesday: More rain, possibly heavy at times, with high winds. The high temperature will be near 55 but the low will drop to around 44.

Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of rain is forecast, with a high near 53.

The weather event has been dubbed "Frankenstorm" because of its Halloween-week timing and because it's a freaky mixture of Hurricane Sandy, a separate storm system coming in from the west and a blast of cold air coming in from the north.